Paula Deen’s Fans Organize to Send Empty Butter Wrappers to Her Former Sponsors

The vociferously loyal fans of Paula Deen, who was publicly disgraced and abandoned by sponsors en masse after admitting that she had used the N-word in the past, have cooked up an idea to take things to the next level, using her favorite ingredient.

An organization called “Butter For Paula” bills itself as “a group of dedicated Paula Deen fans whose lives have been touched in some way by Paula over the years.” A blend of “enthusiastic fans and people with connections to Deen,” they see the “public character assassination of one of the most iconic and influential food celebrities of the decade” as very distressing, and they aim to do something about it, using butter wrappers as their medium.

Eatocracy reports that the organization was started by hotel worker John Schmitt, who said he couldn't stand by the "betrayal" of Deen’s sponsors and was moved to action. According to Schmitt, "She made a mistake 20 years ago. We all make mistakes. I've said things I regret."

On its website, the group says it decided to organize in response to people asking how they could help the disgraced celebrity chef on the We Support Paula Deen Facebook page. They say they’re “ready to send a clear message to the corporations who dropped Paula, as well as to the media.”

As to how they’d like supporters to do so, the group is asking Deen’s fans to send used butter wrappers to former sponsors such as the Food Network, Sears, and Walgreens, providing names, addresses, and Twitter handles (using the hashtag #WeWantButter), and also where to send them, as well as this accompanying message:

Dear Butter Wrapper Recipient, Each butter wrapper that you receive represents the voice of millions of loyal Paula Deen fans across America. A company without Paula, is like a butter wrapper without butter. We’re ashamed and outraged at the media’s careless and negligent handling and reporting which has caused pain and devastation in so many innocent lives. We insist that Scripps Network (Food Network, Great American Country – GAC, Cooking Channel) bring Paula back into our living rooms, and that each and every retailer, including QVC, restock Paula Deen product lines. Many supporters have suspended purchasing products from these corporations, and have discontinued viewing Food Network shows, and many more will follow.

So far, there’s been no word from Deen’s ex-sponsors as to how the butter wrapper messaging is being received, but we imagine it’s a pretty slippery subject.